


It's Time to Try Defying Gravity

by AWritingNerd



Series: Hades Fics [8]
Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sleep, a very very long one, but it's zag soooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:27:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29947212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AWritingNerd/pseuds/AWritingNerd
Summary: Hypnos is tired of the scorn and neglect. Zagreus is tired of the abuse and hopelessness. Together, they make a home in the land of dreams, far away from the stress of their lives. The people they left behind are not too keen on this.----Alternatively: Hypnos and Zagreus go into a deep, unawakenable sleep so they can chill in Zag's dreams and not go back home, and the House of Hades loses its marbles
Relationships: Hypnos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Series: Hades Fics [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168565
Comments: 4
Kudos: 70





	It's Time to Try Defying Gravity

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how to feel about this story, but I've been told by some friends that they liked it, so here you go!

Hypnos had gotten used to the scorn he received from those within the House of Hades. Dusa and Achilles often told him, in that disappointed or nervous way of theirs, that he should be doing his work. Hades would threaten him with the loss of his place in the House if he didn’t pick up on his assignments and his data collection. What hurt the most, even more than the comments from his friends and boss, was the lectures he received from those who were supposed to love and protect him. His brother was no surprise; 

Thanatos had always been a workaholic, obsessed with making sure everyone was doing their job. His jabs still hurt, but at least it made him spend time with Hypnos, even if it was only for his job and not for Hypnos himself. It was his mother that hurt the most. She stood right across the hall, outside of the prince’s room, in full sight of the great hall, where he was constantly ridiculed and broken down. She only came over to speak to him when she had a problem he could solve, or when she had heard that he was ‘slacking off’ in his job. 

He tried to pretend it didn’t hurt.

It didn’t work. 

When he confessed his love to Zagreus, he had honestly expected rejection. It had been the only thing he had experienced after coming of age, after all, and he expected nothing less of someone so filled with passion and life. Hypnos would just drag him down. He had not expected the joy that had lit up his prince’s face, nor had he anticipated the kiss Zagreus had pulled him into the following day, whispering endearments as he moved on, leaving Hypnos flustered and flushed. 

After learning that his brother had given a companion to Zagreus, he vowed that he would as well, and soon, a plush sheep joined Zagreus’ collection, though it was rarely left in the keepsake box. In fact, it never moved from Zagreus’ side unless he was in a dire situation. Hypnos found the sight endearing, and he allowed each call for help with no complaint, fond of the reassured smile on Zagreus’ face, so full of faith in Hypnos’ abilities. As he should be, Hypnos supposed, when his call put everyone around the prince to sleep until he brought them down to a weaker point. 

Ever dependable. 

Many of Hypnos’ firsts had been given to him by Zagreus. His first real hug for no reason except because he wanted one was given to him by Zag. His first drawn picture (and every subsequent sketch after that) went to the prince. Later, after his coming of age, the praise he received for a job done well came from Zagreus, and after each call, his love would clutch the sheep- whom they had both named Shawn- and thank him, his voice filled with the pride and adoration Hypnos had so often wished to hear from those around him in the House. 

But, hearing them from Zag was better.

\----

Zagreus was starting to lose hope. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get up to the surface, that wasn’t it; he adored all the time he spent with his mother, even if it wasn’t long before he was pulled back into the Styx. No, the thing that made it so hopeless was the aforementioned time. He barely got any time with his mother, and she didn’t seem inclined to return with him to lengthen that break. The surface world was too far from the land he was bound in, and as a consequence, he couldn’t stay there for any longer than a few hours, and sometimes, only half that, depending on how injured he was when he emerged from battles with his father. 

Nothing was working. He couldn’t find any way to stay up there, and worst of all, there was nobody to turn to, at least nobody that could do something about it. Even Hypnos couldn’t, though Zagreus appreciated everything the god of sleep did for him on a constant basis. Some were sympathetic, but they had no choice but to act against him, and some were just downright terrible, unbearable to deal with. The insults that fell upon him from Meg, Theseus and Asterius, and sometimes even Thanatos...they hurt more than the House thought. 

He couldn’t take the pressure, the lack of choice, the abuse at the hands of his father. Hades was cruel, with that smug and satisfied look whenever he died...that eagerness which he displayed in their battles, so excited for the opportunity to kill his son. Zagreus could still remember when he first breached the surface, and his father pretended it had never happened, upping the security and increasing his efforts to kill Zagreus. 

He just...wasn’t strong enough. 

Hypnos understood, he always did, and Zagreus found himself furious with how the god of sleep was treated by the people around him. They would talk to each other about how horrible they had been treated, and how much it hurt, and over time, they felt closer than ever before. When Hypnos had confessed having feelings for Zagreus, that he had fallen for him shortly after he began escaping, Zagreus had been thrilled. 

He had someone who loved him genuinely and without restrictions, different in the way that Nyx tried to express love, or in the way that others had attempted to show it. Hypnos was genuine, his affection available as more than just a prize, his love free for Zagreus to have and return. He adored Hypnos with every bone in his body, and knowing that love was returned made him happier than anything else ever had.

Which was where the idea had come from.

\----

“Hypnos, can I talk to you for a second?” Zagreus’ voice carried over the cluster of Shades in the great hall, catching Hypnos’ attention immediately. The god found himself looking up with more fear than he’d expected to feel, wary of what exactly Zagreus would want to talk about, since those who sought him out on purpose often did so when they wanted to talk to him about something he had done wrong. Was Zag dissatisfied with something? He hadn’t shown himself to be earlier, when Hypnos had answered Shawn’s call and put Megaera to sleep so Zag could get some decent hits in. Perhaps it was something else.

Hypnos really needed to stop jumping to the worst conclusions.

Nodding his head so he wouldn’t attract too much attention from the others, Hypnos followed Zagreus into the prince’s chambers, settling down on the plush covers of his love’s bed while Zagreus stood in front of him, expression calm, but still- reassuringly- filled with the love he had worried about. He felt his body sag with relief, and a small smile rise onto his face. “What did you want to talk about, Zag?” he asked, taking Zagreus’ hands in his own.

“Well, I had an idea-”

“A dangerous thing.”

“-Hush, you!” Zagreus’ voice was just as playful as Hypnos’ own, and he gave him a cheeky grin. “No, this was a good idea, I promise. I think you’ll like it, and...I think it will be good for both of us.” His voice had become much more serious, and Hypnos found his humor tapering off into worry. While he hadn’t been serious about Zagreus’ ideas being dangerous, he often feared that Zagreus didn’t think much about himself when he made them. 

The only idea he’d ever had for himself had been escaping, and look how that had worked out.

“I want you to put me to sleep. For good, kind of sleep,” Zagreus suggested, immediately sputtering when Hypnos paled. “Not like that! I want you to come with me! Think about it! You can enter my head in my dreams, and we can both be there together! You can sleep in there and do your real job without any interruptions, too.” His smile was so triumphant, yet it kept its humble and innocent edge. “And we won’t have to deal with any of them anymore. No scorn, no abuse, no more disappointment and overworking, and no more hopelessness,” he whispered, voice tinged with pain, but Hypnos could hear the hope there. “Paradise, my love. What do you say?” 

For once, Hypnos couldn’t find a reason to say no. Much of Zagreus’ ideas did not take into account his own safety or mental state, and Hypnos would step in to stop them from flourishing, but this time, the idea did the exact opposite. It was so tempting. To leave it all behind, to spend eternity with his love in a place where no harm could ever come to them...with the power that Hypnos had, their real bodies would not be harmed by anyone outside. Safe forever. Safe forever with Zagreus...

“Ok,” he confirmed, his smile genuinely wide. “Let’s do it.”

\----

It took an embarrassingly long time for anyone in the House to notice that something was wrong. Nyx and Thanatos assumed that Hypnos was taking a break, and Hades assumed he was slacking off, so none of them looked for Hypnos, leaving him alone to his own devices. Meg never checked in with Zagreus outside of escape attempts, so she assumed he wasn’t escaping anymore, and spread the word above to continue looking out, but that their duties were being stalled.   
Still, nobody reported seeing Zagreus anywhere in Tartarus, or even in the House itself, and Hypnos had not come back to work for a while, longer than he’d ever taken a break before. Soon, the House began to overrun itself. 

The House had underestimated the difficulty of Hypnos’ job, something that became obvious when the Shades hired to replace him while he was gone only lasted a few days before collapsing from exhaustion, complaining about the workload and how overwhelming it was. Zagreus still hadn’t been seen, and with his absence, shades that had normally had a job to do were simply trashing the chambers they were in, taking out their pent-up anger on the rooms around them rather than the target they’d had in the prince. 

The search began not long after. 

It didn’t take long to find them. Dusa had ducked into the prince’s room to clean it- for she was the only one with permission to enter besides Hypnos- and in the hopes that she might find him. She’d found Zagreus and Hypnos there, the both of them nestled in amongst the prince’s blankets, settled into Zagreus’ bed with content smiles on their faces. 

That would have been fine, if they were showing any signs of waking up.

However, Zagreus’ feet weren’t burning, signifying that he had been asleep for far too long, and his body was still and unmoving. Hypnos’ body was unnaturally cold, and when she tried to move them- and dropped Hypnos on the ground as a consequence- she realized they couldn’t be hurt by anything. There was a thin shield coating the both of them, and it refused to be disturbed. 

She’d called for the others immediately. 

There were varying reactions to the two of them. Nyx had scooped them up and laid them down, attempting to wake them, but they refused to stir. Both Thanatos and his mother were of the opinion that the two were just being lazy, and would wake up soon. Dusa didn’t really believe that. 

Meg had been indifferent, though her opinion was a lot more insensitive, filled with disappointment and veiled disgust. Achilles had been the most worried of them all, hovering anxiously over the bodies of the two godlings. “They don’t understand,” he’d whispered when the others had left, and it was just him and Dusa. “Hypnos is the god of sleep, after all. If he put Zag to sleep, who knows when they’ll wake…” 

Dusa wasn’t sure what to think. She just hoped the prince would wake soon.

\----

The world of Zagreus’ dreams was peaceful, and they reveled in it. They had a garden not unlike the one Persephone grew on the surface, with all the food they could ever want, Hypnos filling in the foods of the surface and aiding Zagreus in trying them. They had a small cottage to live in, where Hypnos often retired when he needed to do his job, and where they both went to cuddle and spend time with one another. They lived domestic lives, and on Hypnos’ down-time, he took Zagreus with him to the dreams of the mortals, using them to show his prince everything he had been missing on the surface. 

The worlds were never permanent. They couldn’t be when they existed in temporary dreams. Regardless, Zagreus enjoyed each of their ventures, taking in all of the sights he knew he’d never be able to see, and Hypnos enjoyed the unbridled awe in his lover’s face as he navigated around, eyes wide with child-like wonder. 

The both of them would sit by the lake and fish, or they’d conjure animals to play with, and no matter how they spent their time, they found happiness and love in each other and what they did. Hypnos had never been happier, rid of the struggles he had been trudging through. For the first time, he wasn’t too tired to keep up with Zagreus, and he could do his job without being accused of lazing around. Zagreus, too, was happier. No longer was he expected to ‘stop being immature and start working’, and the verbal accusations and derogatory comments were no more than nightmares now, nonexistent in his mind. 

They were safer, and happier than they had ever been.

Their minds did not turn to those of the House. 

\----

Said House was even more frantic than before. What they had believed to be a temporary break was actually a long vacation, and nobody could be sure when the missing gods would awaken. For the first time, it seemed the Underworld was being truly affected. Hades found himself distracted, unable to do his work, spending most of his time by his son’s bedside, his mind wandering to all of the happy memories he had with the boy. 

He found his faults in the fact that there were so few of them. 

Nyx and Thanatos found their way to the prince’s chambers too, the both of them conflicted in their emotions. On the one hand, they were frustrated with Hypnos, with the way he left them all to take this break. On the other, they couldn’t help but blame themselves for those actions, since deep down, they knew that they had caused much of this turmoil themselves, at least according to the note Zagreus had left behind. 

Achilles wouldn’t talk to anyone in the house, beside himself with worry he tried not to show. He spent his time with Patroclus, and only returned to the House when he absolutely needed to. He’d lost faith in it, and honestly, so had Dusa. She’d been enraged with the reactions of most of the House, and how they hadn’t taken the role of Zagreus or Hypnos seriously, and as revenge, the House of Hades became a wreck. Many made a note to themselves to not piss off the cleaning gorgon, and from then on, Dusa had been unbothered by people looking at her with derision because of her stature and job. She held more power, and she’d only discovered it thanks to two of her friends, both of which had found none of that in themselves. 

She wanted to fix that, but there was nothing she could do.

The only thing she could do was watch as Hades sobbed for what appeared to be the first time in a long time next to his son’s bed, could only view Nyx and Thanatos’ grief from afar, and could only look in on Meg and Achilles each time they came to Zag’s chambers, looking at the bodies in the bed with barely concealed, and sometimes totally obvious, concern. 

She wanted them back so badly…

\----

“Hello, child. I see you’re having fun.” 

It wasn’t often Hypnos was taken by surprise here, but for the first time in a while, he was startled by something he hadn’t expected. Someone he hadn’t expected. While he was certainly aware of this particular god’s existence, and that he was directly related, he suspected they weren’t here for a family check-in.   
“Chaos,” he greeted, giving a small smile to his grandparent. “Glad to see you again.” 

“And you as well, child.” Chaos’ face did not change in expression, but their eyes held enough warmth for Hypnos to see that the statement had been a genuine one. “It pleases me to see your lives improving; the both of you thrive in this realm.” They settled down onto the grass next to Hypnos, still towering over him despite this. “However, there are reasons enough now for you to return. I believe the lesson you have attempted to teach the House has finally sunk in. They await your returns, and I find I do as well. Your absence has created a hole where there was once light, and I am affected as much as the others in the Underworld.” 

Hypnos blinked, taking in those facts, before turning to take in Zagreus, who’d been sitting next to him when Chaos had arrived, and whose expression betrayed his shock. “Await our returns?” Zag whispered. “Hypnos, maybe, but why me?” 

“You are more valued than you think,” Chaos asserted. “And by those you didn’t think of, and even by those you did. The god of the dead is very close to joining them in mind, so torn apart by your absence he is. My daughter and grandson are also grieving, and I have watched their attempts to replace you, all of which have failed. My grandson deeply regrets telling you that you were replaceable now.” Chaos gave Hypnos a small head ruffle and a gentle smile.

“There are others, too.” They turned to Zagreus now. “Your mentor is especially wounded by your leaving, and he spends much of his time with his loved one, and some of his time alone, mourning you by your bedside. The ones who insulted you find themselves just as concerned. I have noticed the Fury sisters becoming restless, and so have the champion and the minotaur. Cerberus is tearing shreds in his master’s chambers.” Chaos gave a small chuckle, met with incredulous looks when they turned to explain it. “Most amusing has been the efforts of the smallest member of the house, your friend, the gorgon head. She has been on strike for some time, refusing to clean. Your show of independence has given her confidence. She just wishes you were there to see it. To be honest, so do I. I do not disagree with your idea, Zagreus,” they assured when Zagreus opened his mouth to speak. “But while it might be nice to return to this place, I would like it if you would give those in the House a chance to visit here from time to time, a chance to rekindle the bond. You need not come back to the House of Hades, if that is your wish, but please, do not cut them out.” 

Chaos faded when their speech trailed off, leaving their listeners alone in the grove they had settled in, one that was suddenly achingly silent. “Hypnos?” Zagreus’ voice rang almost too loud in the absence of noise, and he winced. “Do you...think we should take their advice?”

“I- yeah. This is Chaos we’re talking about, they’re usually right.” 

There was a moment of hesitation, before Zagreus stood up and offered his hand to Hypnos, an unsure smile on his face. “Let’s go back to the house and rest for a while, let you do your job, and let me do some more cooking. When we come back from thinking, we’ll talk about it,” he offered, and Hypnos gave an answering smile, nodding.   
They walked back together.

\----

Dusa felt the pull a moment before her vision blurred, and she woke up in a whole different place, the House fading away and replaced with a field of beautifully kept flowers, and a cozy little cottage surrounded by crops. The familiar face in front of the hut was what caught her attention, however. “Zagreus!” 

She made haste flying towards him, and he laughed with delight, sweeping her up. “Hey, Dusa! Heard from good old Chaos that you’ve been causing quite a stir!” She giggled, nodding and giving similarly excited greetings to Hypnos when he emerged from the house too. “It’s so good to see you two safe and sound! I’ve been so worried!”   
Hypnos explained the idea to her as she was guided inside, greeted by the quaint interior and the smell of cooked food. It was the best meal she’d had in a long time, settled at a table with her two friends, eating a delicious meal and discussing anything and everything enthusiastically. 

“We’re thinking of letting some of the other’s in, but we were hoping for your opinion on the matter?” Hypnos asked, and Zagreus nodded vigorously, much to Dusa’s amusement. She hesitated for a moment, thinking of all she had seen while they had been gone, and ranked the urgency and deservingness of each of the people she’d looked in on. 

“Achilles should be first. He’s been so worried for you both, and he really didn’t do anything wrong, or at least as you said in note. I think Nyx should be next after that. Than is a little reluctant to put himself at fault, but Nyx is fully recognizing how her actions have impacted you. Hades...Zag, I’ve never seen him so sad. I don’t like him any more than you do, but he...he actually cried over you, prince. He...he really misses you, and I have the feeling...that you don’t know everything about him. Just...give them all a chance, yeah?”

Their agreement relieved her more than she’d expected. 

\----

The meeting with Achilles was bittersweet, and while he stood back for most of it, Patroclus also participated in the reunion, greeting Zagreus joyfully and supporting Achilles when the warrior began crying from his overwhelming emotions. Zagreus had given them Antos, explaining that the ant companion would bring them to the dream world whenever they wished it, which would give them the opportunity to visit. They’d even tested it with Fidi, and Dusa had made it through just fine. 

The meeting with Nyx was a little stilted. Zagreus had seen this woman as a mom for a long time, but the way she had treated Hypnos had rattled their relationship majorly, and Hypnos himself wasn’t sure how to speak to her now, unused to her attention being focused on him so intensely. She had been understanding, and her apologies had been sincere, her regret audible. She was trying to repent for her actions, and while neither of them could forgive her yet, they were willing to give her a chance to prove herself. 

The meeting with Than was even harder. He was still struggling with the idea of this being his fault, and both Hypnos and Zagreus’ explanations did little more than upset him. They knew that this wasn’t going to be a one-day process, and they encouraged Thanatos to leave, and to only ask to come back when he was able to understand what he’d done. Hypnos had kicked him out, and that had been that. Zagreus had been distressed to find Hypnos crying later, but he understood why, and he embraced his love, confining him to their bedroom until Zagreus determined he was suitably cheered up. 

Zagreus had told Hypnos that this particular meeting would have to be done without him ,and thankfully, the god of sleep had understood, summoning the last of their visitors, and disappearing quickly to linger in the house until Zagreus was done. Neither knew how long that would be, especially when the first action Hades took was to drop to his knees and cradle his son in his arms.

“You…”

“Hello, father.” 

“...Hello, son.” 

There was no forgiveness here, and Hades didn’t expect there to be. There had been too much pain, and too many tears and rifts for their relationship to ever be fixed, but Zagreus had listened to his dad explain that him leaving had reminded the god of Persephone’s, and that he couldn’t stand to watch his son repeat his wife’s actions, and Hades had listened as Zagreus told him how he felt, and what the conditions would be from now on, offering solutions to some of the problems Hypnos’ leaving had caused. 

When the conversation ended, and Hades left, Zagreus slumped back inside, drained but satisfied, and it was his turn to be confined to bed until Hypnos cleared him. Sure, little had changed, and there was no way either of them were going back to the House- or anywhere close to the Underworld without good reason- but for them, a weight had been lifted off their shoulders, one that would only get lighter with time.


End file.
